ClackerBuzz

looks like you've answered ur own question. put down all the power baits and start finessing. slow and weightless presentations, drop shot, Mepps spinners, split shot. keep ur power lures handy for dusk, dawn or night fishing.

this is my first season using electronics on my canoe. its not all that is cracked up to be. granted i'm still learning but i'm using all of my past knowledge about reading above water clues to find fish. and then try to search those areas deeper with the FF. the number 1 thing i would recommend is getting out with other fisherman. nothing will expose you to so many new tricks, tips, techniques, lures, knowledge etc. you can learn more in one day with another angler than being out 50 days by yourself. try to find some members from ur area.

welcome to the site trey!

i have a 3lb grappling anchor for my kayak. it holds good in weeds but its more like slow drift fishing in rocks. and fast drift fishing on 10+mph days (i would NOT spend the $25 on it again). i wouldn't recommend spending money on a dumbbell. save the money and put it toward a real anchor (8lb mushroom holds my kayak and canoe firm in all conditions). type 'kayak anchor' in the forum search. lots of creative free ideas like drift socks, 5lb bucket drift, rope with old back pack that you fill with stones depending on conditions and just empty at end of day etc. you will get a better feel for what you need depending on ur conditions. i like to fish windy days so the 8lb mushroom and anchor trolley system ($8) are perfect. nothing like having the right equipment for the job. canoe's are taller and have more wind resistance. in a lower profile kayak you could probably get away with a 5lb anchor but i've never seen them in mushroom

x2. i was over my best friends house a few years back. his wife's friend stopped by. you could tell she had a major car accident/surgery from head to toe on her face. turns out her ex-husband had a beloved german shephard. he gave the dog pack preference to his wife. him, her and the dog were on the bed christmas morning. she was kissing the husband and as soon as she stopped the dog literally tried to rip her face off. he wouldn't let go and the husband had to get his gun and kill it. she had 60+ surgeries to reconstruct her face. pets should never be confused where they belong in the pack. they get confused, jealous, and territorial...especially strong dogs. its annoying when its a shih tzu but dangerous when a big dog

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/split_shot.html http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/117421-split-shot-rig/

can't remember who posted it but it went something like this: you wouldn't leave the house with one lure so don't leave with one retrieve. doesn't matter what lure you have tied on... experiment and try 5 different retrieves on the SAME cast. note which the bass hit on ie drag, rip, hop, sweep, dead stick, kill after a rip, two jerks and a pause, after you deflected off cover, waking on surface, burning in middle of water, burning subsurface etc. you can use the craziest retrieves with a senko alone. experiment and note what got you the success

i only use straight braid if pitching into heavy cover or pads. yes fluror leading w/ everything else. there are some awesome past threads. type 'small ponds' and/or 'soft plastics' into the thread search bar

i bought the 385ci DI in December for $258. all the steals happen in the winter/early spring. maybe buy $99 unit now and get a beauty then?

http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/13845-guaranteed-to-catch-bass/ the first cast will generally get you the biggest fish in the area so i relocate often. no standing in the same place for an hour casting over the same water 100+ times/

senko http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/13845-guaranteed-to-catch-bass/

yup broke a rod trying to get a snag free and cut my finger on braid. its funny how many more trees you catch when bank fishing looks like u wear glasses from ur pix=good thing. i went to wearing sunglasses full time after a buddy "unsnagged" a crankbait sailing it 12" over my head.

I know Bill used a specific split shot size for the 'perfect' weight. But I remember being confused b/c I think he sighted multiple sizes (#3 and #5?). What size/kind weight are you using? Split shot makes me nervous and there are so many alternatives available now. Is that a cylinder style weight?

spoken like a true bass whisperer

x2. It's all about the pause then single twitch. drives'm crazy. sometimes its a short 5sec pause...sometimes 30sec. that single twitch usually puts'm over the edge. but be open to all kinds of retrieves like Grizzn said. can be very a versatile lure.

i know you have a UFO one in ya mike

sweet mary and joseph! those are some stout smallies! is that all natural or are there feeders on that lake?!

i'm looking forward to this. i'll be ordering more than just food

do you fish jigs!?! one of my top 3 lures. you can toss a jig into basically any heavy cover w/ that braid. i'd actually recommend a punch rig over jig instead b/c it comes thru virtually anything w/o getting hung up. MH rod w/ 65lb braid. toss jig or punch rig into fallen timber and dead stick it. if no bite give it a twich or two to shake it in the same spot. if still nothing drag a bite. pause. if still nothing hop/drag it out. awesome stuff. play around and take note of what you were doing when you got the bite. all my rods have braid as main line. i just add a leader for the specific application. you can add a 15ft leader of 12lb mono or fluoro and use the rod for other techniques you like. 65lb braid isn't the best for distance casting but it will work for t rigs, spinnerbaits, buzzbaits etc. what techniques do you like? from a boat or bank?

love it. i can see the headlines now: "Hungry man decapitated in dark"

don't feel bad ur not the only one getting beat up. this is my first season structure fishing and i'm getting my butt kicked right now. i admit after 2 hr of jambalaya i go shallow and skip a tube under some lay downs or flip a jig in grass so i can be reminded of what a bass looks like. its raised alot of questions for me like: 1 are there even any fish holding on a particular point i'm working? 2 what if there are bass there but they want a power technique? and not my slow worked jig or weightless worm. power fishing is fun but the whole reason for me slowing down is to land quality fish over quantity. in ponds or small unpressured lakes its easy for me to start slow b/c i know i'm going to get a big bite. however this success and philosophy is biting me in the back in big/deep water. now i have to reinvent my fishing and go back to fast fishing and slow down after i find fish. i'll admit if i was more proficient in deep water fishing i would establish fish were on a point and then slow down. after 3 or 4 outings like this i completely understand why pro's use a 1oz spinnerbait, 3/4oz football jig, 12-15ft deep diving crank etc to keep their bait on the bottom while covering lots of water to locate fish. i'm going to try adding some of these heavier lures/ deeper techniques to establish fish holding points but there will be a learning curve as its new to me. i'm used to working cover 8ft or less. what makes this even more painful is that there are tons of great weed beds that are relatively easy to pull nice fish out of. i know you are more far more experienced than me. i wish i could do it tomorrow but can't so i will pose the question to you. would you consider establishing the point/structure is holding fish via a power technique on day #1 and going back to slow stitch it for bigger fish on day #2? or even letting the spot cool off and coming back a few hours later?

i was out with a smallie guide a few weeks ago. he grew up on the lake and said he's caught the same bass bedding in the exact same spot year after year. some literally clear out the same 3ft radius of stones. picky picky

x2. Columbia Omni or Omni freeze fabric is amazing. a light breeze and/or water on it feels like central A/C. don't know how they did it but i'm in heaven (and SPF 50). i also bought a pair of arm sleeves ($32) to wear with tee shirts instead of spending $300-400 on a bunch of specialty fishing shirts. http://www.columbia.com/Freezer-Zero%E2%84%A2-Arm-Sleeves/SU9090,default,pd.html the buff that comes with this set has holes for ur nose so it doesn't fog: http://www.mosquitocreekoutdoors.com/product/Columbia_Mens_Freezer_Wrap_Glove_Set/Columbia_Fishing_Apparel columbia gives free shipping if you sign up as a reward member

forget about hawgzilla for a second. many fish you'll come across are dinks to medium size. smaller bass will hold on to a senko and don't even mind playing tug of war. bait fish fight like heck when trying to get away so many small fish like the pull/fight of a senko. strictly for understanding the tap feel... keep ur rod at 10 o'clock and watch ur line tighten. then you'll feel the rod tip bend. this would be a good time to drop, reel up slack and set hook. you can take it farther and even let the rod tip bend and play tug of war. obviously don't use this method alot b/c if you wait too long you'll gut hook the fish (I'll post hook removal). it will def help you understand the whole process. getting back to hawgzilla..there is very little chance of you gut hooking his old wise @$# while trying this and if you learn the bite feel/hook set there is a much better chance of you catching the beast http://www.electric-bass.org/throughTheGill.htm

nice vid! i like the POV of ur camera mount much more than when guys wear it on their head.